Allhands: What a Virginia Democrat's tie vote can teach Arizona

Democrat Shelly Simonds was behind, then won, and now is tied with the Republican incumbent in a race that could change the balance of power in the state. That has a lesson for Arizona, columnist Joanna Allhands says.

Joanna Allhands: There will be no Trump backlash in Arizona. But a slew of competitive state races could spell trouble for incumbents.

Democrat Shelly Simonds reacts to the news that she won the 94th District precincts by one vote after previously trailing incumbent David Yancey by ten votes post-election, following a recount Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, in Hampton, Va.(Photo: Joe Fudge, AP)

Democrat Shelly Simonds lost her bid to unseat the Republican incumbent by 10 votes. Then she was declared the winner in a recount – by one vote.

That is, until judges found an additional ballot, the race was declared a tie, and next week, it’ll be decided by whoever’s name is drawn from a canister.

The results are the latest twist in the dramatic November shakeup of Virginia’s House of Delegates, which has long been dominated by Republicans. If Simonds wins, the state House will be equally split among Republicans and Democrats. And if another candidate, Joshua Cole, succeeds in a recount or an even more unusual re-vote, Democrats would have a one-vote edge there.

Some people say this a sign of things to come, that Democrats are about to surge in other red states as a backlash against President Donald Trump.

A lot of young people also voted in Virginia. Or at least, a lot more young people voted than normally do in state elections. The Washington Post reported that 34 percent of young voters cast a ballot in the tightly contested governor’s race, where a Democrat also won.

I'd wager at least part of that is because there were several competitive races on the ballot this year. People who normally don't vote did because they felt like they had a clear, decisive choice to make.

What does that mean for Arizona?

That’s the lesson for Arizona in 2018.

There won’t be a Trump backlash here. I'd be shocked if a bunch of red seats suddenly turned blue. But a growing number of people are fired up about how little we pay our teachers, for example. They feel like elected leaders are out of touch with what they want.

If there are real choices in more of Arizona’s legislative races – not just the token opposition we often see in primary and general races – we might see higher turnout and maybe even some surprising outcomes.

If nothing else, the crazy turnabout in Virginia serves as a reminder that competition matters. And every vote counts.